1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a baseball or softball catching tool (hereinafter simply referred to as a “ball catching tool”) and, more specifically, to a catching tool having a protruded portion on a surface thereof, to prevent unexpected slipping of the ball.
2. Description of the Background Art
Baseball or softball gloves as examples of conventional ball catching tool are described in Japanese Utility Model Laying-Open Nos. 57-29274, 57-29275, 56-90274 and 56-171079.
Japanese Utility Model Laying-Open No. 57-29274 describes a glove with a plurality of slip preventing means in the form of protrusions surrounding the central portion of a ball catching surface of the glove. The surface skin of the glove is mold-pressed to form bumps, and inclusions are inserted in the bumps, whereby the slip preventing means is formed. As the slip preventing means is formed by mold pressing of the surface skin, the height of the slip preventing means is limited. Further, as the surface of the slip preventing means is the surface skin, degree of freedom in selecting the height of the slip preventing means is small.
Japanese Utility Model Laying-Open No. 57-29275 describes a glove with slip preventing means in the form of a plurality of projections surrounding the central portion of the ball catching surface of the glove. The projections are provided by cutting the surface skin in meandering manner and pulling the cut end portions outward. Therefore, the height of the projection is defined by the thickness of the surface skin.
Japanese Utility Model Laying-Open No. 56-90274 describes a glove having multiple pores opened in the surface skin at the ball catching portion, a thin padding inserted between the surface and back skins, with the padding having small projections formed on the front side at portions corresponding to the pores formed in the surface skin, so that each small projection is fit in each pore and slightly protrudes from the surface. Japanese Utility Model Laying-Open No. 56-171079 describes a glove having an embossed pattern of small dots formed by hot-mold pressing at the surface skin of leather at a palm portion and finger portions of the ball catching tool. The embossed pattern of small dots is formed by mold pressing, and therefore, its height is limited.
Among ball catching failures, a so-called fumble occurs due to insufficient closing of the ball catching tool by the player, after the ball touches the ball catching tool and before the ball bounces off from the ball catching tool. Therefore, the protruded portions formed on the surface skin that are not very high, such as those of the conventional ball catching tools described above, have only an insufficient function of supplementing the distance necessary for closing the ball catching tool for the player to catch the ball, and the function of assisting ball catching have not been successfully exploited.